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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
12-22-2010 Vol. 3 Part 4 The Ten Commandments-Exodus 20:3
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
12-15-2010 Vol. 3 Part 3 The Ten Commandments-Introduction
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Monday, December 13, 2010
12-8-2010 Vol. 3 Part 2 The Ten Commandments-Introduction
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12-1-2010 Vol. 3 Part 1 The Ten Commandments-Introduction
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VOLUME 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS"
The Ten Commandments
Part 1 --- Introduction to The Ten Commandments
Part 2 --- Introduction to The Ten Commandments - continued
Part 3 --- Introduction to The Ten Commandments
Part 4 --- Exodus 20:3
Part 5 --- Exodus 20:4-6
Part 6 --- Exodus 20:7
Part 7 --- Exodus 20:8-11
Part 8 --- Exodus 20:12
Part 9 --- Exodus 20:13
Part 10 ---
Part 11 ---
Part 12 ---
Part 13 ---
Part 14 ---
Part 15 ---
Part 16 ---
Part 17 ---
Sunday, December 12, 2010
11-24-2010 Vol. 2 Part 17 What Is Heaven Like According To The Bible
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11-17-2010 Vol. 2 Part 16 What Is Heaven Like According To The Bible
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11-10-2010 Vol. 2 Part 15 What Is Heaven Like According To The Bible
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Part 2 of 2 of what the Bible teaches on where children go if they die at a young age.
Psalm
25:14-22 NKJV The secret
of the LORD is with
those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy
on me, For I am
desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of
my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.
Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred.
Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O
God, Out of all their troubles! Dear Father God we ask in Jesus Christ name to provide us the things
that you see that we need and not what we think we need, for you are the
provider of all our needs and you know best. Amen!
WHAT
ABOUT THE CHILDREN? (Continued)
Here are some questions that probably
everyone has asked themselves; The age of accountability, infant dedication,
baptism, and the age of children in heaven?
What is
the Age of Accountability? It is the age when a child
understands the message of the Gospel and what sin is. The age at which a child
becomes accountable for the message of the Gospel is as different as are children themselves. No two
children develop at the same rate and in the same way. They are all on different
developmental paths so there is no specific age. Children are sinners from the
moment of their conception. But they are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ
that "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) until they can understand their sin
and resulting guilt before God. Isaiah 7:16 makes reference to a child (actually, the coming Messiah) and his
ability "to refuse the evil and choose the good" so there is a time
when a child crosses that line, but the Bible does not give an age at which that
happens. Isa 7:16 KJV For
before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land
that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Parents need to be sensitive to their
children to discern when their understanding has developed sufficiently to be
accountable for what they are learning about Christ, sin, and the Gospel. If children are
raised in a Christian home, conversations will happen that let parents know how their
children are developing spiritually. They might ask questions about a baptism they observed at
church, a certain Bible study or CCD lesson, or an adult conversation about a
certain Sunday worship service. Children may commit themselves to Christ at an
early age, and do it several more times as they mature. Look at me, I was 57
when I actually can say that I came to
know and live for Jesus, and fully understand the true meaning of the gospel.
Before that I knew who Jesus was and what he did, but only as a history lesson
and didn’t have the personal relationship with him that I have now, and that is
what it is all about. A commitment to Jesus, like a wedding vow, that will
foster an eternal relationship with Him.
Children will come to know Christ at
different times and in different ways. The main challenge is for parents to be sensitive and lead their child
to Jesus when the time is right.
What is Baby Dedication and Baptism? In Luke we see the parents of the baby Jesus taking Him to the temple "to present Him to the Lord". Luke 2:22 KJV And when
the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,
they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. They
dedicated baby Jesus to God which means they as parents acknowledge the child as a gift from God and vowed
before Him
to set a godly
example for the child and a commitment to lead the child to Christ at an early age. This is what we are to do as Christian parents.
In Scripture there is no record of infants or very young children being
baptized. This is because they are not yet able to understand the need of a
Savior. Yet God places a high priority on children. When asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of God, Jesus responded in Matt. 18:3 KJV And said,
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. God's love for children is also shown in the Old Testament. In Leviticus the Lord specifically prohibited the people of Israel from offering their children as a
sacrifice to the pagan god, Moloch (Leviticus 20:1-5).
It seems fair to conclude that if God forbade children
from being sacrificed, He would not order those same children to be placed in the eternal fire of hell. From these Scriptures we know that children are loved by God, and until they come to an age of accountability, they have a place in the kingdom of God. This means that should a child die before developing to a point where the knowledge of Christ can be understood and
applied through forgiveness, the child would inherit eternal life in heaven as an heir of God's kingdom. The Gospels tell us that little children and infants were brought to Jesus for Him to touch them and bless them (Matthew 19:13-15; Luke
18:15-17). Mar 10:13-16 NKJV Then they
brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples
rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to
them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do
not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to
you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no
means enter it." 16 And He took
them up in His arms, laid His
hands on them, and blessed them.
According to the Bible, everyone (adult or child) who recognizes his or her need of a Savior and then repents, and believes in Christ should be baptized; Act
2:38 KJV Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Act
2:41 KJV Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Also in Acts 8:37, 38 the eunuch proclaimed his belief
in Jesus and was baptized.
Baptism in water is to follow salvation (acceptance of Christ and
His forgiveness of our sins) as demonstrated in the New Testament. Baptism
doesn't make you a believer it shows that you already believe. Baptism
does not "save" you;
only your faith in Christ does that.
Baptism is like a wedding ring, it's
the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart. Baptism by
immersion illustrates Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. When a person is
submersed in water it illustrates Jesus death and burial and when the person
emerges from the water it illustrates Jesus resurrection. Romans 6:4 NKJV Therefore
we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. (Col 2:12)
Baptism by immersion was the practice of Jesus, his disciples, and followers, (The
true church.) and Jesus was baptized that way.
Children should be baptized when they can
understand and explain the
Gospel themselves, when they can express assurance of their own salvation.
Parents should not be anxious about children who go to be with the Lord. God is just and compassionate and receives little
ones to himself with open
arms. Nor should they be anxious about the age of accountability. Prayer and sensitivity to the Lord's leading, will
allow you to minister the Gospel to your child at the
appropriate time. The main thing is to make sure you are a Christian yourself. You cannot impart what
you do not possess.
How Old Will Children Be
in Heaven? Finally, we consider the question of children's ages in heaven. That is, when a child
dies, especially as an infant (and certainly those who never reach full term
and are born),
will that
child be a child in heaven or a
mature adult. If an infant dies at too young an age to understand God on earth, how could that child
enjoy and appreciate God in
heaven as an infant? Some argue that the book of Revelation depicts everyone
in
heaven worshipping God, which suggests that all will be able to do that in terms of age and maturity, that is, as adults.
Alister McGrath suggests
this interesting perspective: "As each person reaches their peak of perfection around the age of thirty,
they will be resurrected as they would have appeared at that time even if they had never lived to reach that age ... The New Jerusalem will thus be populated with men and women as they would appear at the age of 30 " .. but with every blemish
removed."
Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), 289.
We know from Isaiah 11:8 that there will be infants and children in the Millennium: "The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and
the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den." So, if the millennium is part of heaven, there's some reason to believe that perhaps children will be in
heaven and allowed to grow until they reach maturity at around the age of thirty, then sort of
"frozen" in time. (Many of us would love to be frozen in time at around that age, I suspect!)
Another perspective is
that of J. Vernon McGee: "I believe with all my heart that God will raise the little ones such that the mother's arms who have ached
for them will have the opportunity of holding them. The father's hand which never held the little hand will be given the privilege. I believe that little ones will
grow up in the care of their earthly parents, if they are saved."
Quoted by Woodrow Kroll, Is My Child in Heaven? (Lincoln: Back to the Bible,
1996).
To summarize, we certainly do not know with certainty about the age of children in heaven. The Bible simply does
not say. Whatever God's answer to this question is,
we know it will be a wholly satisfying one to parents who have lost small children whom God has taken to heaven. A baby is not lost when you know where it is, and babies who die at an early age are with Jesus.
Some denominations believe in baby
dedication, and when a child reaches the age of accountability the child is
instructed about salvation through Jesus Christ. When the child understands
this and put their faith and trust in Jesus, they are baptized. Other
denominations believe in baby baptism and later when the child is capable of
understanding salvation they are confirmed, which signifies a child is a
believer of Jesus Christ. Both are similar and I leave you with these questions
based on what the Bible teaches in this lesson. Do babies have to be baptized to
go to heaven? If not, then why do we practice infant Baptism? Is it to give
parents peace of mind? How old were you when you were baptized? Was it before
or after you were Born Again? If confirmation applied to you, were you old
enough to fully understand what it was all about? Had you reached the age of
accountability?
Personally, I vaguely remember my
confirmation, being raised a Catholic, and it didn’t mean much to me at the
time. I praise and thank God for opening my ears, eyes, and heart to the
teachings of his Holy Word 3 years ago and now I’m Born Again and Baptized.
If you have any doubt about your salvation,
and can’t say with confidence that you are going to heaven when you die, then I
urge you to go back and review all of Volume I lessons.
His Mercy Endures Forever!
There Is No Other King, But King
Jesus!
Bill
Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: When Jesus was with the
Apostles, and when he prayed, did he pray for all mankind?
Answer: Here is just one instance where Jesus prayed
for his present day and future Born Again believers. John 17:9-26; John 17:9 NKJV "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for
those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. John 17:20-21 NKJV
"I do not pray for these alone, but also
for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be
one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that
the world may believe that You sent Me.
This week’s Trivia: Is it true that it will
be impossible for people to kill themselves during the Tribulation?
11-3-2010 Vol. 2 Part 14 What Is Heaven Like According To The Bible
Note: To download/print the document, click on the
title below.
This is two parts about what the Bible teaches on where children go if they die at a young age.
Psalm
25:8-13 NKJV Good and
upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And
the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To
such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is
great. Who is the
man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself
shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. Dear Father
God we ask in Jesus Christ name that with the coming of cold wintery months, the
homeless, those that have had, and will have their homes foreclosed will be
able to find shelter and warmth. Amen!
WHAT ABOUT
THE CHILDREN?
In this lesson we learn what happens to children
who die before the age of accountability.
There is no grief as deep as that of a parent
who loses a child at any age. But when a child dies as an infant or at a young
age, how does God view their eternal destiny? The Bible gives assurance to all
parents who lose a child prior to the child being able to place faith in
Christ.
I can't think of anything more agonizing
than the death of a child.
Someone has said that
the death of a child is like putting a period before the sentence is even
finished.
http://www.backtothebible.org/bigquestions/bq_bigquestions.htm
If the loss of a child isn't grievous
enough, then comes the question of that child's eternal destiny. There are four
reasons for believing that all infants and small children who die go straight
to heaven.
THE CHARACTER OF GOD: The first reason is the character of God himself, not the least
of which is the fact that He is called
"Father" in the Bible (Romans 8:15). That is an initial
clue as to how He regards the helpless and innocent among us.
God is compassionate, gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth (Psalm 86:15). He is also "good to all, and His tender mercies are over
all His works" (Psalm 145:9). These traits of God tell us He would never judge anyone
unjustly, such as children who don't have the ability to understand the Gospel. Some say this should also exclude
adults who have not heard the Gospel, but Romans 1:17-21 and Psalm 19 tell us that the evidence of God in
nature surrounds us and holds all men accountable. But babies are different they
cannot understand language, reason, or
the evidence in nature.
Interestingly, when the people of Israel were held accountable
for not trusting God to give them victory going into the Promised Land, their
children were not. Deuteronomy
1:39 NKJV 'Moreover your little ones and your children,
who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they
shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. The adults were
penalized for their unbelief, but the children were not.
Another example is the 120,000 children of Nineveh Jonah 4:11 NIV But
Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell
their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be
concerned about that great city?" Though the Ninevites were a cruel people, deserving of
judgment, God had mercy on the city because of the large number of children "who could not discern
between their right hand and their left." God's justice accounts for those
not able to believe.
In (Ezekiel 16:20-21 NIV
"'And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and
sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? 21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed
them to the idols.), God refers to children as “His”, and in Jeremiah 2:34 and 19:4 refers to them as
"innocents." Jer
2:30-34 NKJV "In vain I have chastened your children;
They received no correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a
destroying lion. 31 "O generation, see
the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of
darkness? Why do My people say, 'We are lords; We will come no more to
You'? 32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet
My people have forgotten Me days without number. 33 "Why do you beautify your way to seek
love? Therefore you have also taught The wicked women your ways. 34 Also on your skirts is found The blood of the
lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, But
plainly on all these things. Yes, children are born into sin just like everyone else, but
their sins are not willful and premeditated. Thus He calls them "innocents."
God is compassionate and merciful and does
not judge children who lack the ability themselves to judge.
THE CONDITION FOR SALVATION: Small children don't have the
ability to understand that an affirmative response to the Gospel is the
condition for salvation. They don't know what they must do to be saved (Act 16:30-31 NKJV And he
brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.").
Galatians
gives a long list of the behaviors of those who are
in rebellion against God; (Gal 5:19-21 NKJV Now the
works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and
the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that
those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.) and Revelation 21:8 has a similar, but shorter list. The point
is that you cannot go to heaven if you choose to live this way; you cannot go
to heaven in your sin.
As Ezekiel 18:20 says, "The soul who sins shall die .... And the wickedness of the
wicked shall be upon himself." The problem is, children don't understand this.
John MacArthur has
written, "Little children have no record of unbelief
or evil works, and therefore there is no basis for their deserving an eternity
apart from God .... They are graciously and sovereignly saved by God as part of
the atoning work of Jesus Christ."
John MacArthur, Safe in the Arms of God
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003),81.
Before a child knows how to choose between good and evil, he or she is
protected from judgment for sin by the blood of the Lord. If one cannot reasonably accept or reject
the payment for sin made by
Christ, that person is accepted by God.
"In the Bible,
infants, little children, and others who cannot believe are neither told to
believe or expected to do so."
Robert Lightner, Safe in the Arms of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2000),15-16,25.
Since the condition for salvation is accepting the
Gospel, the inability to do so spares one the judgment for not having done so.
THE COMPASSION OF THE SAVIOR: Jesus' love for little
children is seen on more than one
occasion in the Gospels. Indeed, the references to Jesus' interaction with children also include the adjective "little," as if to
highlight His tender compassion toward little ones (Matthew 19:13-14; Mark
10:13-14)
.. In Luke 18:15-17 the reference is to
infants, or little babies, who are brought to Him.
Perhaps the most meaningful reference is (Matt. 19:13-14 NIV Then
little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and
pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 Jesus said, "Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.") where Jesus says, "Even so it is not the
will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should
perish." It could not be more clear from this verse that Jesus is not
willing for little ones to be lost.
What about children lost through
miscarriage or abortions?
Couples that have lost children by
miscarriage, is heartbreaking. I believe these children are in heaven and will
be reunited when we get there. I believe the Bible is clear that life and personhood begin at conception. Therefore,
any persons conceived but not born are persons nonetheless and are taken to heaven
when they die from miscarriage or abortion. All women who have suffered either
of these experiences should expect to be reunited with these precious ones in heaven, provided they are true believers of Jesus
Christ and have repented of their sins. The same is true for children who, due to
mental impairment, never develop fully to the
point that they can understand and receive the Gospel.
THE CHILD OF DAVID: In 2 Samuel Chapter 12, we find the story of the
child of King David that provides compelling evidence for the salvation of children. You may
remember David's story, he committed adultery with
Bathsheba who became pregnant with David's child. After the child was born, God
sent the prophet Nathan to confront David over his sin of adultery and of
having Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, killed.
As part of God's judgment upon David, Nathan told him that
the child born to Bathsheba would be taken away in death. The child became ill and for a week David fasted and prayed for
the child to
live. But on the seventh
day it died. David then arose, washed and anointed himself and went into the temple to worship
the Lord. He then asked for
something to eat. His servants were confused. They couldn't understand why
David was not fasting and mourning after the child died instead of before. David's reply was,
"Now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to
him, but he shall not return to me" (verse 23).
In other words, David was confident that he
would see his child again. David believed he was going to heaven when he died, and that is where he
expected to see his son. Even though the idea of heaven was not as fully understood theologically
in the Old Testament as in the New Testament, David still believed that he and his son would be reunited in the place of God's blessing
where believers went after death. .
David understood then what we now know to
be true: Small children and infants go
to be with the Lord when they die.
This looks like a good place to stop for
this week and next week I will continue with age of accountability, how old
will children be in Heaven, and infant dedication/baptism.
His Mercy Endures Forever!
There Is No Other King, But King
Jesus!
Bill Wiesbrock
Last Week’s Trivia: Did serpents have legs?
Answer: The dictionary defines a
serpent as a snake. How many times have you glossed over the scripture in
Genesis where God told the serpent, “On
your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life” Genesis
3:14? Does that mean that the serpent had legs and walked upright, or somehow
moved on the end of it’s tail in an upright position? I have no idea, but it
amazes me what is revealed each time I read the bible. Every time I read the
bible I have questions as to what a scripture really means and I have to dig
deeper to fully understand. How the serpent moved in the Garden of Eden doesn’t
really matter, it is just one of those little things that caught my eye, so I
encourage all to pick up your bible daily for 10 – 15 minutes and see what you can
learn.
This week’s Trivia: When Jesus was with the
Apostles, and when he prayed, did he pray for all mankind?
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